Cursed Dreams
by Meemo
Summary: [COMPLETE] What happens if 'Sleeping Beauty' didn't really fall asleep? What if 'Prince Charming' isn't really a prince? Fairies, witches, prophecies etc. involved... Sweet and fluffy...very sweet... like cotton candy...(mmm cotton candy) yeah, just R/R
1. Default Chapter

Cursed Dreams  
  
~ * ~  
  
She stood atop the hill watching.  
  
The guests around the castle below were jostling around in a panicked state -  
  
though they were panicking for a good reason.  
  
The day had started off beautifully; the bright morning sun had shined upon the  
  
newborn princess and her proud parents. It was a naming-day for the royal baby and  
  
everyone in the kingdom was invited, both the citizens of Galla and the fairies of the  
  
surrounding lands. One by one, the fairies had approached the lavishly decorated cradle  
  
to bestow their gifts upon the princess.  
  
Overall, the gift giving process was pleasant and entertaining - until Percillia the  
  
Witch of the Moors arrived with a bitter gust of wind, interrupting the last fairy,  
  
Lavender, who was about to announce her present for the princess. Percillia had strutted  
  
up to the cradle and had rudely pushed the other fairy aside. She had taken out her wand  
  
and with a wave, she proclaimed, "The princess shall pierce her finger on a needle and  
  
fall into a poisoned sleep on her eighteenth birthday!" She had whirled around and faced  
  
the astonished guests, and as quickly as she had arrived, she disappeared with a blink of  
  
an eye.  
  
Many people of the crowd had screamed or fainted. At that point, the last fairy  
  
stepped up. She was pale and trembling, but she pulled herself together, pointed at the  
  
baby and said, "The princess will not sleep forever. She will be awakened by a kiss of a  
  
prince."  
  
The woman on the knoll chuckled quietly at the sight of the madly scrambling  
  
people. Percillia, the Witch of the Moors, uttered a spell under her breath and once again,  
  
vanished without a trace.  
  
TBC. 


	2. Blossoming Love

*I'm reposting this coz I changed the spacing. now it's easier to read!  
  
* ".and since power includes responsibility, and responsibility is evil, therefore  
  
power is evil," the seventeen-year-old (turning eighteen in a week) princess, Leaura  
  
Vanne of Galla, concluded to her friend with a triumphant smile.  
  
Cassidy Smith shook her blond head and her bright blue eyes twinkled as she  
  
grinned back, "Yes, I know that you hate responsibility and all that. The ironic part is  
  
that you're a princess."  
  
Leaura shrugged and tossed back her coppery curls.  
  
"Hey there princesses!" A voice rang out from behind the two girls.  
  
It was old Tanis, a frequent customer of Geran Smith, Cassidy's father who was  
  
the best smith in the country. Geran was often referred to as the "king of the smiths", and  
  
since he was the "king", old Tanis often teased Cassidy by calling her "princess".  
  
The pair responded with a wave and walked on, through the busy streets of the  
  
village.  
  
They returned to their original topic of discussion.  
  
"Fine, well, since I'm going to inherit all this power, I might as well put it to good  
  
use; I can create world peace, so there!" Leaura really enjoyed debating with her long-  
  
time best friend. Cassidy always had some sort of retort and Leaura found many of her  
  
ideas intriguing.  
  
"Well, it's not exactly all good."  
  
"What do you mean 'not good'?" Leaura interrupted, but her expression suddenly  
  
grew somber, "Remember the Great War eight years ago? With the Fairies of the  
  
South?" The bloodshed between the two groups of beings was over the use of magic  
  
within the kingdom. In the end, no one won, but both side suffered greatly after the war.  
  
"Yes but."  
  
"If there was world peace, then that sort of thing wouldn't happen at all!"  
  
"But think, Leaura! The only way that world peace can exist is if there wasn't  
  
any conflict. Conflict is caused by differences between people - and fairies - which  
  
means that everyone would have to think and act the same way!"  
  
The two girls were too preoccupied in their heated and loud discussion that they  
  
did not notice the stares from the villagers.  
  
"Well, maybe, but." Before Leaura could finish her statement, she had abruptly  
  
walked into a young man.  
  
"Oh! I'm so sorry." she trailed off as soon as she recognized him, "Corren!  
  
Fancy meeting you here!" Her face lit up.  
  
Corren Smith smiled shyly nodded his dark blonde head at Leaura and then at his  
  
younger sister.  
  
"So, what brings you here?" Leaura asked lightly.  
  
"I had to see Emmaline, the gardener's daughter. I was just buying some seeds  
  
and stuff." Corren replied in his soft voice.  
  
"Oh, I see." Leaura's expression darkened slightly at the mentioning of the other  
  
girl's name.  
  
"And then, well, I-I saw you down the road and well, um, I just came here to, er,  
  
see how you're doing," he concluded lamely as a light blush crept up his face.  
  
Cassidy watched the entire exchange with a knowing smile that she always had  
  
whenever her brother and her friend spoke to each other. The three teens had known  
  
each other for years. They first met when Leaura visited the small village as a child with  
  
her parents, the king and the queen of Galla. Corren and Cassidy were amongst the  
  
crowd who were on the streets watching the royal parade. The children had hit off as  
  
soon as they met and had become best friends. But now, as Cassidy had observed, the  
  
friendship between her brother and Leaura was changing. Leaura had once confided to  
  
her that she fancied Corren, though he was still oblivious to the whole situation.  
  
Personally, Cassidy had though that her brother wasn't as oblivious as Leaura had  
  
assumed, but she had held her tongue and allowed the two sort things out for themselves.  
  
The trio continued walking; Corren was still stammering a little, Leaura's face  
  
was positively glowing, and Cassidy's expression portrayed amusement. The sun began  
  
to set and the princess excused herself from the group and headed home, towards the  
  
huge castle imprinted against the golden sky.  
  
Because of the approaching darkness, she did not notice as several, polished  
  
carriages pulled up in front of the great doors of the palace.  
  
TBC.  
  
A/N: Dun, dun,dun. 


	3. Understanding

*More changing of spacing.  
  
~ Several days later, the last day of her seventeenth year, Leaura learned the  
  
significance of the high-class carriages.  
  
".princes are for extra precaution," Queen Rhiana Vanne's voice floated out from the royal couple's chamber.  
  
Princes? Leaura wondered and she suddenly froze when she heard her own name.  
  
"But what ever will we tell Leaura?" It was her father, King Daron Vanne IV.  
  
"I have said this before, and I will say it again: tell Leaura the truth." The  
  
eavesdropping princess recognized this voice as Eleanor, her fairy godmother.  
  
"What, and say that she is going to fall into some trance on her eighteenth  
  
birthday?" Rhiana asked shrilly.  
  
"She has a right to know!"  
  
Leaura could hear heels clicking across the marble floor. "That is why I sent for  
  
the princes. There has to be one of them that can kiss her and wake her up. At least that  
  
was what Lavender had said. And of course, protocol dictated that she will have to marry  
  
her rescuer, and that will solve the whole suitor problem."  
  
So that explains the carriages - KISS, MARRIAGE? The subject of the on going  
  
discussion gasped in horror as the idea finally processed through her mind.  
  
"But Rhiana." Daron protested weakly.  
  
"Fine, you can do what ever you want, Rhiana! But it's up to you to explain to  
  
your daughter!" Eleanor stormed out of the chamber and came face-to-face with Leaura  
  
who was still paralyzed with shock.  
  
Leaura soon recovered and her green eyes flashed angrily. "What was that all  
  
about? Princes? Marriages?" she spat out every word as if they disgusted her.  
  
Eleanor returned the fierce gaze of her goddaughter with a weary look of her own.  
  
She gestured for Leaura to follow quietly. They tiptoed to Eleanor's chambers nearby.  
  
"I think that you do deserve an explanation." She turned to face the still fuming  
  
redhead. She sighed and recounted the events of Leaura's naming-day: from when  
  
Percillia had appeared suddenly, to her curse, and ending with Lavender's alternative to  
  
the enchantment.  
  
"Percillia?" Leaura echoed, confused. "I thought Percillia was from a myth."  
  
"Yes, that was what most people had assumed. Even many of the fairies believed  
  
that Percillia does not exist anymore. The myth is actually a true story and it happened a  
  
thousand years ago. You see, one of your ancestors, Dyanna Vanne - she was half fairy  
  
led the humans and the fairies against Percillia the Witch. She was able to defeat  
  
Percillia by trapping her in her own magic."  
  
"But what does that have to do with me? And isn't the witch dead?"  
  
"I said trapped, not killed. Well, apparently, Percillia was able to escape after a  
  
thousand years. I don't think that she has recovered completely, but her magic is still  
  
very powerful."  
  
"So you're telling me that this crazy woman is trying to make me sleep forever or  
  
something? But that doesn't make any sense!" Leaura protested.  
  
Eleanor shook her head. "I don't know either, but I don't think that is her true  
  
intent. I remember her muttering something about the Fairy Oracles or something." Her  
  
expression was grave as she spoke, "You should be careful tomorrow. I'm not saying  
  
that your curse can be avoided, but be wary. Truthfully, I don't even think that the  
  
enchantment can be reversed by a kiss of a prince. Percillia must have been prepared for  
  
something like this. Seriously though, if Percillia regains her power, the world will be in  
  
chaos."  
  
Leaura swallowed hard, "What should I do then?"  
  
"Just be careful," Eleanor had a faraway look in her eyes.  
  
The princess nodded and was about to walk away when Eleanor spoke up, "Do  
  
you want to know what my gift to you was?" she asked softly. Leaura nodded again.  
  
"I gave you hope."  
  
TBC. 


	4. Falling

*The art of double spacing. hehe. Exciting part:  
  
~*~ "The Witch shall prevail if the Princess voluntarily joins her side." - the Fairy Oracles.  
  
~ The morning of Leaura's eighteenth birthday, she was woken by a knock on her  
  
door. A servant announced that Corren and Cassidy had arrived and are waiting outside.  
  
Leaura scrambled out of bed, dressed, and hurried down the stairs.  
  
"Happy birthday," the Smith siblings chorused. Leaura smiled and hugged them  
  
both, at which point Corren started blushing.  
  
"Uh, do-do you want to take a walk-lk?" He asked Leaura. Cassidy threw a wink  
  
towards Leaura and excused herself to go "freshen-up". Of course Leaura agreed.  
  
Leaura led him out to the back garden. The grounds were misty and the flowers  
  
petals were opening from a long night's sleep. The scene was perfect.  
  
Without another word, Corren suddenly produced a beautiful rose out of the  
  
pocket of his robes and handed it to her.  
  
"Oh!" Leaura gasped. The flower had just blossomed and the red velvet petals  
  
still held the morning dew. "It's beautiful! Did you grow this yourself?"  
  
Corren nodded, his face aflame, and said quietly, "Happy eighteenth birthday,  
  
Leaura."  
  
But as Leaura reached out to accept the rose, a thorn pricked her finger and blood  
  
welled up on the cut. Corren quickly reached out to examine her finger; neither of them  
  
realized that the thorn was different from the others - it was sharp and silver, with an  
  
uncanny resemblance to a needle.  
  
Leaura fell to the ground as darkness engulfed her.  
  
~  
  
"What happened?" asked Corren anxiously as he laid Leaura down on her bed.  
  
Eleanor looked into the two pairs of blue eyes that were staring intently at her.  
  
She sighed and repeated what she had told Leaura the day before. A second after she had  
  
finished her tale, a bright light suddenly encased the sleeping princess as if she was  
  
trapped in a glowing cage. Eleanor reached out to touch it and quickly recoiled.  
  
"Just as I had predicted. Percillia has taken extra precautions; that shield keeps  
  
anyone who has royal blood in them from approaching," Eleanor reported.  
  
"But Leaura." Cassidy trailed off.  
  
"The curse has been activated."  
  
~  
  
Leaura fell. There were silver lights swirling dizzily against the pitch- black  
  
background. It seemed like forever before Leaura felt solid ground beneath her feet. The  
  
scene suddenly shifted; the whirling lights and the darkness was replace by soft, flowing  
  
pastel colours.  
  
"Where am I?" Leaura wondered out loud as she looked around.  
  
"In my world." A voice came from behind her. She quickly spun around to face  
  
the newcomer. The sharp face, the dark hair. it all came back to her. Leaura  
  
remembered seeing this woman bent over her once and shouting strange words at her. It  
  
was Percillia, the Witch of the Moors. She shuddered involuntary.  
  
"Do not worry. You shall not be harmed. I only brought you here with hope that  
  
we can come to an agreement."  
  
"Agreement?" Leaura echoed warily.  
  
"Yes," the witch hissed, "we can make great things happen - if we work together.  
  
I can offer you more power than you have ever dreamed of! Come, join my side."  
  
"Power?" Leaura scoffed, her fear evaporating as the conversation turned towards  
  
something she was familiar with. "What would I do with power? I don't need it."  
  
"But, what about your goal of achieving peace for the world?" Percillia spoke in  
  
gentle and persuading tones.  
  
Leaura was tempted, but then she remembered her debate with Cassidy, everyone  
  
would have to think and act the same way. "No! World peace cannot exist unless  
  
everyone was the exact same. That is not what I wish."  
  
"My, you are hard to persuade. Hmm. I know what your heart desires most. I  
  
can offer that to you for your cooperation," her steel eyes glinted.  
  
"My heart's desire?"  
  
"I have been watching you since you were born, of course I know what it is. I can  
  
give it to you," she paused dramatically. "I can give you Corren Smith. He's love will  
  
be only to you, not to Emmaline, nor anyone else. Only you."  
  
Leaura gasped. She had not thought of that until now. She did not realized what  
  
she felt for Corren was love. True love. She remembered how jealous she was when  
  
Corren had said that he had gone to see Emmaline. She remembered how her heart leapt  
  
when he handed her the rose. She loved him and she wanted his love to be returned.  
  
Leaura was about to open her mouth to agree, when a little voice (that strangely  
  
resembled Eleanor's) in the back of her head said, if you truly love Corren, you'd let him  
  
make his own choice; his love would be impure and not genuine. All it will be is an  
  
illusion - like the world you are in right now. Evil is an illusion. It is a dream, a  
  
nightmare, that's all. Refuse the offers and break away from the enchantment.  
  
"NO! Percillia, I will NOT yield to you, nor will I listen to your bribes! I  
  
REFUSE!"  
  
At the last two words fell from Leaura's lips, something strange happened. The  
  
outline around Percillia began to fade away.  
  
"NOOO!!!" Percillia screamed, "You stupid child! You have made me lose all of  
  
my magic! You will regret this!" She raised her hand and performed her last spell. The  
  
ground around Leaura opened and she fell, once again, with Percillia's shrieks following  
  
her. "I may not have any magic left, but I can make you fall forever!" The echoes faded  
  
away, but Leaura continued falling through the darkness.  
  
*TBC  
  
A/N: Thank you to my reviewers! Yay! ( 


	5. Epilogue

*This is the last chapter.  
  
~ "Leaura can be wakened by the kiss of a prince?" asked Cassidy.  
  
"Yes, but it's no use because no one with royal blood can touch her," replied  
  
Eleanor with a sigh.  
  
Suddenly, Cassidy remember what old Tanis always called her and she had an  
  
idea, "Wait! Technically, I'm a princess because father is the 'king' of all smiths! That  
  
would make Corren a 'prince'! Eleanor, would that work?"  
  
Eleanor looked startled, "I never though of that. But I'm not sure. There are  
  
many risks to Corren because changing an enchantment is unpredictable."  
  
"I don't care," Corren spoke up, "it doesn't matter if there are risks, as long as  
  
there is the possibility that she can be saved."  
  
The fairy gave him a long look and saw that he meant what he had said. She  
  
nodded and led him to Leaura's sleeping figure and she left him there, alone.  
  
Corren carefully bent down and kissed the princess lightly on the lips.  
  
~  
  
She felt as if the falling sensation had slowed down and the blackness around her  
  
had just became lighter. A small beam of light shone up high above her reach, like a  
  
beacon of hope in the darkness.  
  
Leaura suddenly thought of Eleanor's words, I gave you hope. That's right,  
  
Leaura shut her eyes, and I believe that somehow, I WILL get out of here.  
  
When her eyes fluttered open again, the dropping sensation had disappeared.  
  
There was, however, a pair of bright blue eyes staring worriedly at her.  
  
"Corren!" she quickly sat up and looked around, still a little disoriented. The  
  
young man wordlessly embraced her.  
  
"I was so worried about you," he said quietly.  
  
"And why was that?"  
  
"Because I love you."  
  
Leaura looked intently at him. A silent exchange came between through them.  
  
She understood. "I love you, too."  
  
The new couple walked out, hand-in-hand, gazing into each other's eyes.  
  
~  
  
"And when the Princess makes the right choice, the Witch will be defeated, and  
  
the Princess shall be rewarded; everyone shall live happily ever after." - the Fairy  
  
Oracles.  
  
*~THE END~*  
  
A/N: So this is the end of my story. Hope you all enjoyed it (whoever made it this far). A thanks to Mandalynn (you know who you are) for telling me to post this story up. Thanks to my reviewers. Love you all! LOL 


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